Background
Rome, Harold Jacob was born on May 27, 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Son of Louis and Ida (Aronson) Rome.
Rome, Harold Jacob was born on May 27, 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Son of Louis and Ida (Aronson) Rome.
Bachelor of Arts, Yale University, 1929; student Law School, Yale University, 1928-1930; Bachelor of Fine Arts, School Architecture, 1934.
Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Rome played piano in local dance bands and was already writing music while studying architecture and law at Yale University. After graduation he worked as an architect in New York City, but continued to pursue his musical interests, arranging music for local bands and writing material for revues at Green Mansions, a Jewish summer resort in the Adirondacks. Much of the music Rome was writing at this time was socially conscious and of little interest to Tin Pan Alley.
In 1937, he made his Broadway debut as co-writer, composer, and lyricist of the topical revue Pins and Needles.
Pins and Needles was originally written for a small theatrical production directed by Samuel Roland. Because Roland was associated with left-wing causes, he was asked by ILGWU president David Dubinsky to withdraw.
The show was a huge success, running for 1108 performances, and prompted George South. Kaufman and Moss Hart to invite Rome to collaborate on another topical revue, Sing Out the News, in 1938. In the early 1940s, Rome wrote songs for several revues and shows, but it was not until after the end of World World War II that he had his next real success with Call Maine Mister.
His first full-fledged musical was Wish You Were Here in 1952.
Additional Broadway credits include Fanny (1954), Destry Rides Again (1959), I Can Get lieutenant for You Wholesale (1962), in which Barbra Streisand made her Broadway debut, and The Zulu and the Zayda (1965), which dealt with racial and religious intolerance. He also wrote the lyrics for Louisiana Grosse Valise (composer Gerard Calvi), which enjoyed a short run at the 54th Street Theater in 1965. In 1970, he wrote a musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind entitled Scarlett for a Tokyo production with a Japanese cast.
lieutenant later was staged in English with little success in London and Los Los Angeles
Rome"s music and/or lyrics can be heard in such films as Rear Window, Anchors Aweigh, Thousands Cheer, and Babes on Broadway. Rome also was a painter and art collector.
He died of a stroke in New York City at the age of 85. 1937: Pins and Needles
1962: I Can Get lieutenant for You Wholesale – "Mission Marmelstein", "Who Knows?".
(Sheet music for "Wish You Were Here" from the New Musical...)
Served with Army of the United States, 1943-1945. Member Dramatists Guild, American Federation television and Radio Artists, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Golden Circle, American Guild Authors and Composers, Composers and Lyricists Guild American, Yale Club.
Married Florence Miles, February 3, 1939. Children: Joshua, Rachel.